This invention relates to an inexpensive, integrally formed bottle or jug carrier strap for securely and comfortably carrying a pair of bottles or jugs by their neck.
Bottles and other liquid containers, in particular gallon containers, weigh a substantial amount. For example, a filled one gallon milk jug weighs approximately 8.3 pounds. Shoppers wishing to purchase multiple one gallon containers generally must use each hand to carry each container.
Bottle carriers which enable bottles to be carried by their neck are well known in the art, as shown by the following:
Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,468 discloses an integrally formed bottle carrier wherein the bottle necks are engaged in and supported by a substantially keyhole shaped opening. The bodies of the bottles themselves are clustered and secured by a plurality of integrally formed depending supports.
Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,987 describes and claims a bottle carrier capable of carrying a plurality of bottles in a close cluster using a connecting band which is separated and apart from a bottle-engaging means mounted around the necks of the bottle.
Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,766 describes a two-element strapping mechanism, comprising a connecting band which is separated and apart from a bottle-engaging means around the bottle necks for carrying the bottles.
Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,295 describes an integrally-formed bottle carrier for carrying a row of bottles side by side by their necks. The bottles are locked into and removed from a plurality of uniformly based split collars which are mounted within individual frames interconnected in a single row by one or more longitudinally extending rigid bridging bars. The split collar is substantially keyhole shaped having splits in a longitudinal direction. Oppositely disposed handles are also provided for.
Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,729 describes a strap for carrying a single bottle by the neck within a split ring opening within a frame member.
The above-mentioned prior art devices each rely upon a substantially keyhole-shaped split collar. Insertion and removal of a bottle is made by forcing open the angular portion of the collar. The bottle carriers are lifted by various means, including finger openings in the top of the device or handles which are pivotable upwardly.